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Hengst News.

01/15/2014

Hengst again among the winners at the International Aluminum Die- Casting Competition

Third-time participation and a triple crown of success

Hengst continued its winning run in 2014 at the biennial International aluminum Die-Casting Competition. The expert jury awarded second place to the upper oil sump part developed and produced by Hengst for the 12-cylinder FSI engines in the Audi A8. The prizegiving took place as part of the opening ceremony for the "Euroguss 2014" trade show on 13 January, 2014 in Nuremberg. Following a first-place showing in 2010 and a special commendation in 2012, the exceptional development and production know-how of this automobile supplier has again been honored.

"The casting construction exploits the specific advantages of die-casting technology" - this was the verdict of the expert jury when assessing the upper oil sump part from the Energetic® series in Audi engines against the competition: "The premium surface quality gives it the required durability, while in design terms, they have successfully devised impressive functional integration and implemented it using complex tooling technology." The latest aluminum die-casting technology was harnessed to produce a compact module, which united numerous functions close to the engine and optimally exploits the existing installation space. A key space- and cost-saving innovation: The extended connection canal between the oil cooler and filter components is completely manufactured as early as the die-casting process, which means the process of joining these components, arranged on respective opposing sides of the engine, can be achieved without additional screw joints or cover plate.

Unrivaled development and production know-how - uniting these strengths is the only way to realizing complex solutions, which Hengst does by working hand-in-hand with vehicle manufacturers. "We are delighted with this further accolade, which shows that we are continuing to break new ground in diecasting technology." said Dr. Andreas Dworog, Head of Casting, during the prizegiving.

The high-level engineering and consultancy skills enables ongoing product innovations and optimizations or innovative combinations and technological advances, the scope of which can extend up to 3D free forms, for example. Ceaseless efforts are also made to optimize the overall manufacturing process. Dr. Torsten Penz, Chief Operating Officer, explains: "Our foundry is among the most modern of its kind in the world, which we capitalize on to meet our goals and open up new design scopes for customers with the production technology we employ."

In recent years, the company has repeatedly invested in cuttingedge facilities, which now sees the scope of the in-house aluminum foundry include twelve fully-automatic die-casting cells with real-time controls, vacuum-assistance and clamping force of 840 to 2,200 tons. Astonishing: The dimensions of the largest casting cell are equivalent to those of a one-family home. The foundry constantly nurtures and implements new technologies, which include melting, dosing and deburring procedures. In 2013 alone, this site saw 1.9 million components cast, each of which weighing from 0.2 to 11.5 kg and processing of around 130 truckloads of aluminum bars. In the words of Hengst, the foundry will continue to constantly strive and develop and implement new technologies in future.